In this episode, I will be chatting with Mary Hopper, of Natural Plus Nursery in Clear Lake, Iowa.  I spend much of the dark days of winter combing through seed and gardening catalogs dreaming and planning my garden and yard projects.  Over the years I've had some terrific successes and some epic failures so I asked Mary to help us avoid some of those failures!

We will be talking to Chef Emily about making the most of the food supplies we have on hand. It’s a challenging time right now for all of us home cooks, so thanks for taking a little time to share some of your expertise and tips on getting the most out of the food supplies we have access to.

Spring is around the corner on the farm.  Freddie, my cat,  in his desperation for his spring hunting season to start,  inspired me to write this riff the Dr. Suess book -- the Cat in the Hat. 

In Season 2 we will be talking about all things gardening, whip up some delicious recipes, and learn about preserving garden harvests by canning, freezing and other cool methods.  This season will also bring interviews with Iowa women who raise bees, cattle, and we will also meet a woman flower farmer.  So I hope you will join us from planting season through harvest here on the farm. 

Everyday is a surprise living on the farm... find out what was making those noises in the basement as Mary tells the story in this podcast.

I am so excited to be talking about all things Pie, --yes, I said Pie in this episode with my guest Cristen Clark, an Iowa farmer, an Iowa Food and Family Project, contributor, and a skillful baker whose Harvest Pear Pie brought $3,000 for the Blue Ribbon Foundation at the Iowa State Fair and a Cooking and Baking Contest Judge, just to name a few of her talents.   Listen to my interview and learn how to make the perfect crust from this Queen of Pie and get links to her favorite pie recipes. 

You can never plan enough for some guests -- Rory was one of those guests.

Bacon is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.

Benjamin Franklin

In this episode, we are chatting with two impressive farm women,  Val Plagge who blogs at  Corn Beans Pigs and Kids and Alicia Schmitt who blogs at The Pork Diaries, about raising for pigs or sourcing homegrown pork for feeding your family.  And most importantly we will be sharing our best pork recipes. 

Fried, roasted, broasted, poached, baked, stir-fried, grilled and fricasseed.  Americans eat 91 pounds of chicken a year and is the most popular dish served worldwide.  It is economical, versatile and if cooked properly is fit for a king. In this episode, we are chatting with Shannon Latham, vice president of Latham Hi-Tech Seeds, in Sheffield, Iowa about raising chickens for food or sourcing homegrown chickens for feeding your family.  And most importantly we will be sharing our best chicken recipes.

So you think you want backyard chickens, fresh eggs and maybe even a rooster named Stew.  Oh, those pretty blue, green and brown eggs are delicious and they look great in your Instagram pictures, but be prepared for spending money, falling in love, unavoidable heartbreak, and poop.

 You can send in questions and comments to [email protected]. 

Welcome to our first episode of the podcast series Farm Women Food, where Iowa farm women tell their stories, share their wisdom, talk about real food and give practical advice about country life.

 Your host is Mary Lovstad, a Chicken Soup for the Soul contributor and her blog is Farm Girl Cook'n. 

 You can send in questions and comments to [email protected].